Process for decomposing ores



Jan. 2, 1934.

G. A. MACREADY PROCESS FOR DECOMPOSING ORES Filed Dec. 15, 1931 Gas C0 efc. Reaction Gravity Vapor Chamber Cham ber Condenser 500 $1000 6. 500 101000 6. Liquid 0 5 are.

Ore Carbon 0S Solids DisTiHaTi'on Sulphide Vapor Condenser Chamber IO0OT0 1800 0.

Sulph ide Prodvcr Sulphide Product Sulphl'de Product INVENTOR.

Patented Jan. 2 1934 I v I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1,941,610 PROCESS Iron DECOMPOSTNG; oars George A. Macready, Los Angeles', Calif.

Application December 15, 1931 Serial No. 581,160

6 Claims. (01. 23-134) My invention'relates to a process for'decomto the lower portion ofthe'charge so that the posing ores by means of hot sulphurbearing flow of the vapor will agitate and churnthe vapors and the separation of the various elements charge causing intimate mixture and acceleratcomposing the ore by gravity settling, vaporizaing chemical action.

tion and condensation of their sulphur com- In the hot sulphur bearing vapors of the reso pounds. a v 1 action chamber many complex and varied chem- Anobject of my invention is to promote the ical' reactions and products occur. Some of the chemical action in a turbulent mixture of ore prin ipal pr du s a su p id ofthe elements and hot sulphur bearing vapor such as carbon 01; the ore, carbon monoxide, unaltered portions disulphide, separate the olid nd vapor prodof the original charge and others. One probable ucts by gravity, heat the solids to a higher temchemical reactio is P y expressed y' perature to volatilize sulphur compounds of the owi qu tio a elements, and condense the vapors at gradually t reducing temperature so that each compound is 2AIZSI2O7+7CS2+7C*2A12S3+4S1sz+MCO' 15 separated from the others by its condensation It is not claimed vthat the chemical reactions at the temperature locality corresponding t it are new because the action of carbon disulphide condensation temperature, on alumina and silicates in the presence of car- My invention is particularly adaptable to the b s been known for p y years This decomposition aluminumbearing and other ores appl n is directed to the method Process 20 to obtain the sulphide for electrolytic treatment. accomplishing the known reactions .eeOIlOm- 75 This application covers improvements over the ically by a continuous p process disclosed in my application Serial Nume eeiltihuous pp y eif meterialsto the lber 549,335 filed July '7, 1931 for Process for dec i n ch m r causes the pr and u Jcomposingores. The improvement lessens the alteredicharge to overfiowinto another chamber 25 volume of vapors which must be raised to the which may be designated as the g a y chemvolatilization temperature of theproduct desired.

The raw materials required for my process are: In the gravity chamber the solids settle from ore, which should preferably be dried and crushed the Vapors y gravity the bottom Where y or pulverized to facilitate rapid. chemical .reaccan be drawn off and the vapors discharge from 30 tion: carbon, such as coke, coal or charcoal, also t t p the v y chamber o a e e driedand crushed or pulverized: sulphur for car-. The vapors consist principally of the excess bon disulphide: fuel, preferably fuel gas or oil: carbon disulp and Carbon monoxide W and electric power for operation of auxiliary lesser quantitiesv of other Vapors y are machinery and for the subsequent electrolysis of ducted through t e eeiidehsei passage d 5 the sulphide products. lowed to cool so that the carbon disulphide con- The accompanying drawing is a diagramdenses and can be collected for use over and over matic flow sheet illustrating the steps of my again in the process. The carbon monoxide gas process. can be used for fuel. If the other constituents The first step in my process is to feed ore, carof the vapor are o Suffie nt qua t ty 110 be im- 0 bon and carbon disulphide into a hot reaction pertant y can be Separated y using the chamber. No particular form is essential for the process disclosed in my co-pending application. reaction chamber except that it have inlets for The solids settled in the gravity chamber'are admission of the charge, preferably near the drawn ofi, continuously if desired, and fed into lower portion, and an outlet for discharge of a distillation chamber where a very high tem- 45 products. The chamber should be lined with peratureis maintained. The temperature of the a refractory sulphur resisting lining such as solids is therefor-c increased to above the volatilbarium sulphide lining. The temperature .of the ization temperature of some of the constituents. reaction chamber is maintained (by external The temperature may be as high as 1800 degrees heating) between 500 and 1000 degrees centi centigrade for some ores. Many sulphides 50 grade, usually about red heat but varied to suit volatilize at this temperature. The material the particular ore. which does not volatilize in the distillation The charge of ore and carbon can be fed sepchamber consists principally of carbon and unarately or mixed together either in pulverized decomposed ore: It can be drawn oil? from the form or in briquettes. An excess quantity of chamber and re-run or used as fuel. 5 carbon disulphide should be supplied, preferably The vapors from the distillation chamber consist largely of metallic sulphides of elements originally in the ore and are discharged into a sulphide vapor condenser (or sublimation cha her). The vapors are gradually cooled as they flow from the hot toward the cool end of the condenser. ihe compounds having the highest volatilizatlon temperature condense near the hot endof the passage and other compounds condense farther along toward the cool end with the result that there is a separation of the different compounds and each compound is deposited at the locality corresponding to its condensation temperature.

The separation gives a variety and concentration of products derived from elements originally in the ore. Each product can be treated or disposed of to the best advantage. Silicon sulphide can be treated for recovery of sulphur for re-use in the process. process is intended mainly for the cheap production of aluminum sulphide which can be treated by electrolysis for recovery of metallic aluminum and the sulphur reused again in the process. a

I claim as my invention: 7

l. A process for decomposing ores which consists of agitating a mixture of ore and carbon with hot carbon di ulphide vapors, separating solid and vapor products by gravity,heating the settled solids to a temperature above the vaporization temperature of sulphid s therein, separating the hot sulphide vapors f1 he nonvolatile solids, conducting the sulphide vapors through a condenser passage where their temperature is gradually reduced, and isolating sulphides'of elements derived from the ore by con densation at different temperature localities of the passage.

' 2. A process for decompos ng ores consisting of feeding ore carbon and carbon di-sulphide into a reaction chamber heated to a temperature between 500 and 1090 degrees centigrade, overflowing the charge and its products into a gravity chamber wherein the solid and vapor products of the hot mixed charge separate by gravity, recovering excess carbon. oil-sulphide from the va por by condens tion, subjecting the gravity settled solids to higher temperature to vaporize sul-- phides' therein, conducting the vaporized sulphides through a condenser passage wherein the vapor temperature is decreased, and isolating,

sulphides of different elements derived from the and separate sulphides therefrom, and condensing each sulphide as a product by passing the sulphide vapor through a passage wherein the temperature is decreased.

i. A process for decomposing ores which con-- of agitating a charge of ore and carbon by a current of hot carbon disulphide vapor to procheinical action between said charge and can va or and separating the resulting products 1 and temperature control.

5. A process for decomposing ores which consists of feeding ore, carbon and carbon-disulphide into a heated reaction chamber supplying-'suflicarbon disulphide to churn and agitate'the charge in chamber into an intimate mixture promote chemical action'therein, overflowing the charge into a gravity cha'mber wherein vapors and solids separate by gravity, the vapors being subsequentlycooled for. the condensation and recovery of carbon-disulphide, heating the solids from the gravity chamber to a higher to erature to distil sulphide vapors therefrom, and condensing the sulphide vapors at several temperatures to isolate sulphides of constituents of th original ore.

6. A process for treating'aluminum bearing ores which consists of agitating a mixture of ore and carbon in a reaction chamber by a current of carbon disulphide vapor at a temperature between 590 and 1000 degrees cent-igrada'overflowing the charge andits products into a gravity chamber wherein solids an'd'vapors separate hygravity, the vapors being subsequently cooled for condensation and recovery of carbon-disulphide, heating the solids from the gravity chamher to a higher temperature to distil sulphide vapors therefrom, and condensing the sulphide vapors at several temperatures to isolate alumi' num sulphide therefrom.

GEORGE A. MACREADYJ. 

